In some molding operations, the molded articles are ejected from the molding machine directly into a bin or the like. In other molding operations, the molded articles are partly ejected, gripped by a gripping mechanism attached to one end of a robotic arm, removed from the machine and transferred to another location. Many contemporary gripping mechanisms are operated pneumatically and the article ejector in the molding machine is hydraulically driven. This creates a mismatch problem because of the reaction time of each mechanism; i.e., if the coordination between the two is off, a frequently occurring event, the article may be gripped incorrectly and perhaps suffer enough damage to cause its rejection at a later time. Accordingly, it is now proposed to provide a gripping assembly which provides lost motion to avoid a mis-match condition.